Packing for perishable victuals



May 17, 1938. o. METZGER 2,117,738

PACKING FOR PERISHABLE VICTUALS Filed Nov. 21, 1935 ATTORND Patented May17, 1938 PATENT OFFICE PACKING FOR PER ISHABLE Otto Metzger. Nuremberg,Germany, assignmto Verelnigte Deutsche Metallwerke A.-G.,Zweigniederlas'sung Snddeutsche Metallindustric,

Nuremberg, Germany Application November 21, 1935, Serial No. 50,844

In Germany November 2'1, 1934 ZOIaimS.

Packings of the most different kinds have already been used to safelystore perishable victuals in liquid as well as in solid state, forinstance milk, coffee, oil, and fat, nutritive powders, biscults, sugarand the like, to allow despatching or sending victuals ready for use ortaking them along on travellings, walkings and similar occasions. Thesedurable packings are known as tins made of tinned sheet-iron, containersof waterproof material or metal tubes.

Tins as well as containers of water-proof material have thedisadvantage, that they may not at all or unperfectly only be closedagain after having been opened, so that the contents still remaining inthepacking means cannot be taken along any more, as they woulddischarge. Moreover, the great danger always exists, that in theseopened tins or other packings perishable victuals quickly decay, so thatthe whole contents must necessarily be consumed all at once.

Tinshaving soldered covers, particularly tins of small dimensions, arerelatively expensive and the opening of such tins which is effected bycutting off the cover is always rather troublesome.

As a rule, containers of water-proof material do not allow sate storingof perishable victuals, as sterilizing of the contents is not possiblewhich, in most cases, is desired and very often is absolutely necessary.Such containers may, on taking along on traveliings or walkings easilybe damaged by blows or pressures acting upon them which result indischarge of the contents.

Metal tubes as a rule may be used to store victuals in form' of a pasteonly, as the cap of the tube is not adapted to tightly close the tubeand to prevent escape of liquid victuals. Liquid victuals, therefore,must first be converted to a paste by a method which makes this mannerof storin expensive. Moreover, on account oi the end of the tube beingformed as a collar and neck for the reception of a screw-cap or apush-on cap. these metal tubes themselves are an expensive packing.

Now, the subject matter of the invention consists, in a packing having,with regard to known packings, the following properties and advantages:

The novel packing is formed as a thin-walled metal-bag, is of .smallform and has, in spite of its low weight, suflicient stability to beeasily and safely carried along. The packing according to the inventionis equally suitable for the storing of liquid as well as of solidperishable victuals; The new metal bag.iurthermore,allows intermittentconsumption or the contents and repeated air-tight closing of thepacking, so that even under these circumstances, a safe storing ofperishable victuals is warranted. As the packing is formed as a metalbag, the contents may be sterilized, themetal bag being able towithstand the required pressures. The metal bag is very easy to handle,is reliable and yet may be manufactured on a quantityproduction scale ata low price without sacrificing any of the advantages.

The novel packing bag according to the invention is characterized by thefact, that it consists of a thin-walled hollow metal body the .side wallof which is made in one piece with the bottom and the upper opening ofwhich, serving to .1111 the bag, may air-tightly be closed by pressingfiat. and folding the flattened metal at the edge. said bag being, belowthe folded portion, provided with indentations not piercing the materialwhich serve to open the bag by tearing oil the folded portion, Theindentations not piercing the material may, after filling and foldingthe bag, be obtained by means of pincers, may, however, also be madebefore filling the bag in which case this operation may be performedsimultaneously with the machining of the edge of the bag.

In the accompanying drawing one embodiment of the subject matter of theinvention is shown by way of example. I

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation partly in section of a metal bag accordingto the invention ready for being filled before closing,

Figs. 2 and 3 are. views of theclosed metal bag seen from the broad sideand the narrow side respectively,

Figs. 4 and 5 are views of the opened metal bag seen from the broad sideand the narrow side respectively, and I Fig. 6 illustrates a frontelevatienal view of a modified embodiment of the invention.

As shown in Fig. l, the bag is made inone piece as a cylindrical hollowmetal body, consisting for instance of aluminium or another metal. Thebag comprises the cylindrical side wall a the lower end of which iscontinued by the bottom b. The latter is plane or smooth and serves asstand bottom for the metal bag. The upper opening of the bag, serving asfilling opening, is, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, air-tightly closed bypressing flat the edge e of the metal bag and fold ing or rolling theflat pressed material, so that a special closing memberis not required.

The cylindrical side wall a is, as shown in Fig.

1, provided with a row of notches or indentations dwhich do notcompletely pierce the wall of notches or indentations d is so arrangedas to lie below the fold c after the edge of the metal bag has beeni'olde If the contents of the packing, bag are to be consumed, thefolded portion 0 is torn ofi at the row of notches or indentations d,whereupon the bag may, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, completely be openedby separating its juxta-positioned walls from each other. in a solid orliquid state may then be taken out or poured out respectively.

The side wall of the packing bag may also be provided with a pluralityof rows of notches or indentations which are then arranged one below theother in a distance to allow repeated folding and closing of the alreadyopened metal bag. In this manner, the bag, holding the rest of thecontents, may and spill-proof manner in case it has not been completelyemptied. A packing bag of this character is shown in Fig. 6 in whichreference character al denotes the side walls, bi the bottomwall and oithe folded portion of the container, and reference character dl denotesa plurality of rows of indentations.

As the metal bag according to the invention does not require a specialclosing member and as it is, moreover, of very simple form, it may bemanufactured at extremely low cost and, therefore, may be sold at asubstantially lower price than tins, tubes or other packing means usedhitherto.

The victuals to be stored in the metal bag may remain in their originalform in which they are used, so that expensive intermediate processesare not required. By means of the new packing it is for the first timepossible to take along on travellingswalkings, a great number ofdiflerent victuals, so that the field of useof these victuals is verysubstantially enlarged.

The particular feature, characterizing the metal bag according to theinvention, is that it is for the first time possible to intermittinglyconsume the contents of the container without The contents which may bebe closed again in an air-tight I 2,117,738 of the metal bag, but weakenit only. The row any danger of spoiling and discharging the contentsduring further storing.

What I claim is:

1. A packing bag for the preservation and storage of perishable victualsin liquid and solid state comprising an integrally formed thinwalledmetal container capable of resisting to sterilizing temperatures andpressures and having side walls of substantially cylindrical form priorto the filling and sealing thereof, a flat bottom wall integral withsaid side walls, a fillingopening defined by the upper edge of said sidewalls, the upper terminal portions. of said side walls being flattenedout and pressed together in juxtaposed relation after the fillingoperation, a fold locking said flattened terminal portions andairtightly sealing said container, and a row of indentations in saidterminal portions and in proximity of said fold for weakening saidportions without perforating the same whereby tearing oil. of said foldand opening of said container are facilitated.

2. A packing bag for the preservation and storage of perishable victualsin liquid and solid state comprising a thin-walled metal containercapable of resisting to sterilizing temperatures and pressures andhaving side walls of substantially cylindrical form prior to the fillingand sealing thereof, a flat bottom wall integral with said side walls, afilling opening defined by the upper edge of said sidewalls, the upperterminal portions of said side walls being flattened out and pressedtogether in juxtaposed relation after the filling operation, a foldlocking said flattened terminal portions andair-tightly sealing saidcontainer, and a plurality of rows of indentations in said terminalportions in parallel spaced relationship with each other and with saidfold for weakening said portion along said rows without perforating thesame whereby said container may be closed several times by folding theextremity of said terminal portions and may be opened by tearing oil thefold along one of the rows of said indentations.

O'I'IO METZGER.

